After delays, Moore trial jury selection begins

After two days of delays, Richard Antonio Moore was given his first look yesterday at the people who might decide his fate.

Jury selection began in Harford County Circuit Court for Moore, 30, of Baltimore, who is charged with fatally shooting Baltimore County police Sgt. Bruce A. Prothero last year.

Prothero, 35, a father of five, was shot three times Feb. 7 as he chased four men after a robbery at J. Brown Jewelers in Pikesville, where he was working part-time as a security guard.

Three other defendants have been convicted of first-degree felony murder in the shooting, but Moore is the only one to face the possibility of the death penalty.

Selection was delayed Tuesday when Moore complained of digestive problems. The proceedings were halted Wednesday when sheriff deputies mistakenly barred the public from the courtroom and Moore requested a mistrial when he learned of the situation.

Moore sat attentively alongside his two public defenders yesterday as 55 prospective jurors were brought into the courtroom.

Judge Emory A. Plitt Jr. asked the prospective jurors to stand or remain seated in response to a wide range of questions, including whether they had any knowledge of the case and their views on the death penalty.

Plitt told the group not to discuss the case with the media and said that if Moore is convicted, he could face a death sentence. The judge said he expects to a jury to be selected by Wednesday.